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Business Standard
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Census to begin from March 1, 2027; Centre issues official notification
The Union Home Ministry on Monday announced the dates for India's long-awaited population census — the first since 2011 — setting the stage for a two-phase digital exercise scheduled for October 1, 2026, and March 1, 2027. For the first time, the nationwide headcount will go digital, allowing citizens to respond from their homes via smartphones or digital platforms. What happens in each phase? The first phase, known as the Houselisting Operation (HLO), will begin on October 1, 2026. It will focus on collecting detailed data on households — including assets, income, housing conditions, and access to basic amenities like water, electricity, and toilets. The second phase, Population Enumeration (PE), will start on March 1, 2027. This phase will gather personal and demographic details — such as age, gender, education, occupation, religion, and language — of every individual living in the household. The upcoming census will also include caste-based enumeration, the first such exercise since Independence. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw confirmed the inclusion of caste data in April, making it one of the most comprehensive censuses ever conducted in India. Digital and inclusive: A first for India This will also be India's first digital census, a step aimed at increasing accuracy and efficiency. With the option to self-enumerate from home, the process is expected to be more accessible and transparent than ever before. The last census was conducted in 2011. The 2021 exercise was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, making this the longest gap between censuses in independent India. What it means for policy and politics The announcement of the Census 2026-27 also sets the stage for key legislative changes, including the implementation of the Women's Reservation Bill and the long-pending delimitation exercise. The Women's Reservation Bill — which seeks to reserve one-third of all seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies for women — can only take effect after a fresh census, followed by delimitation. Delimitation refers to the redrawing of electoral constituencies based on population shifts. While it was last carried out based on the 1971 Census, the process was frozen by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment in 1976 until 2000. Later, the 84th Amendment Act of 2001 permitted limited boundary adjustments within states based on the 2001 Census, but the total number of Lok Sabha and Assembly seats remained unchanged. This amendment, in a way, also extended the freeze on full delimitation till the first census post-2026.
NDTV
13 hours ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Centre Issues Census Notification, To Start In Ladakh, J&K, 2 States In 2026
New Delhi: The Census - the recording of India's population, including of critical details such as caste - will begin in the union territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir, as well as Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand from midnight on October 1, 2026, the government said Monday afternoon. Counting for the rest of the country will begin from midnight on March 1, 2027. Earlier today Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the census prep with the Home secretary, the Registrar General & Census Commissioner of India and other senior officials. In each state the census will conducted in two phases, officials have said. In the first, i.e., the House Listing Operation, or HLO, information about the housing conditions, assets, and amenities of each household will be collected. Reviewed the preparations for the 16th Census with senior officials. Tomorrow, the gazette notification of the census will be issued. The census will include caste enumeration for the first time. As many as 34 lakh enumerators and supervisors and around 1.3 lakh census… — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) June 15, 2025 In the second, i.e., Population Enumeration, or PE, demographic, socio-economic, and cultural details of every person in each household will be collected. Information about an individual's caste will collected in this phase. The government had, on April 30, confirmed that an enumeration of the various castes and sub-castes in the country, and the number of people in each, will be part of the next census. The decision to include caste enumeration in the census - a demand pressed fiercely by the opposition - was announced months before a critical election in Bihar, over 63 per cent of the population of which comes from Extremely Backward or Backward classes. The government has clarified that caste, and not class, will be taken into consideration during the Census. Therefore, each person will have to mention their caste and religion. READ | Caste, Not Class, Will Be Counted In 2027 Population Census: Sources Explaining the need to specify caste rather than class, sources said there is no single list for Other Backward Classes (OBCs), unlike Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). The OBC list varies from state to state and also from the central government, sources said. The latter is maintained by the National Commission for Backward Classes and used for reference in providing reservations in central government jobs and educational institutions. State-managed lists are often longer and more extensive. NDTV Explains | The Caste Census Roller Coaster In Indian Politics In India the census is normally conducted every decade. The last national population count was in 2011. The 2021 census had to be abandoned because of the pandemic. The 2027 census, when it is held, will therefore be the first in 16 years. The opposition has been pushing for a census to be held, arguing it is necessary to have an accurate, up-to-date count of population and socio-economic data for effective policy-making. This will be the first 'digital Census', i.e., giving citizens an opportunity to self-enumerate.
The Hindu
13 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Census 2027: Centre issues notification; to be conducted in 2 phases
The government on Monday (June 16, 2025) issued a notification for conducting India's 16th census with caste enumeration in 2027, 16 years after the last such exercise in 2011. The census will be carried out with a reference date of October 1, 2026 in snow-bound areas like Ladakh and March 1, 2027 in the rest of the country, the notification said. "The reference date for the said census shall be 00.00 hours of the 1st day of March, 2027, except for the Union territory of Ladakh and snow-bound non-synchronous areas of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the States of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand," it said. In respect of Ladakh and snow-bound non-synchronous areas of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the reference date shall be 00:00 hours of the 1st day of October, 2026, it said. The massive exercise to give population-related data from across the country will be done by about 34 lakh enumerators and supervisors and around 1.3 lakh census functionaries armed with digital devices. In the census, caste enumeration will also be done, a government statement said. Provision of self-enumeration would also be made available to the people. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had reviewed the preparation for the census with Union Home Secretary, Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India Mritunjay Kumar Narayan and other senior officials here on Sunday. The Census would be conducted in two phases — House Listing Operation (HLO) where, the housing conditions, assets and amenities of each household will be collected, and Population Enumeration (PE), which would capture the demographic, socio-economic, cultural and other details of every person in each household. In Census, caste enumeration would also be done, the MHA said. This census is the 16th census since the exercise started and eight after Independence, a government statement said. Very stringent data security measures would be kept in place to ensure data security at the time of collection, transmission and storage, the statement had said. (with inputs from PTI)
Economic Times
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Economic Times
Census: Indian govt notifies conducting population count from March 1, 2027
The Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday notified that the next census of India will be conducted in 2027. ADVERTISEMENT The official gazette, issued on June 16, 2025, said that the census will take place under the powers conferred by section 3 of the Census Act, 1948. According to the notification, the reference date for the census is set at 00:00 hours on March 1, 2027. However, for the Union Territory of Ladakh and the snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, the reference date will be 00:00 hours on October 1, 2026. This follows the earlier notification issued in 2019 and published in the Gazette of India, which had set the framework for the 2021 census but was later deferred. Also Read: Census data to be ready within nine months? Govt bets on tech to speed up 2027 exercise Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday reviewed the preparations for the forthcoming census with Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan and other senior officials. According to the Home Ministry, India's 16th census since inception and 8th since Independence will be carried out soon. ADVERTISEMENT The census will be conducted in two phases. In the first phase, the Houselisting Operation (HLO), data related to housing conditions, assets, and household amenities will be collected. In the second phase, the Population Enumeration (PE), details on demographic, socio-economic, cultural, and other aspects of every person will be gathered. ADVERTISEMENT Also Read: Day after PM lauds caste census decision, Cong takes swipe at him with two videos The Home Ministry stated that caste enumeration will also be carried out during the census. For the operations, approximately 34 lakh enumerators and supervisors along with around 1.3 lakh census functionaries will be deployed. ADVERTISEMENT The upcoming census will be conducted digitally using mobile applications. A self-enumeration option will also be made available. The ministry added that strict data security measures will be in place during data collection, transmission, and storage. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)
Mint
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Mint
Census notification to be issued today: What you need to know about the 2027 survey?
The notification to conduct the Census of India would be published in the official gazette today, June 16, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said. As many as 34 lakh enumerators and supervisors, and 1.3 lakh Census functionaries would be deployed for the exercise, to be conducted in two phases. The exercise will be conducted by March 1, 2027. The Census will be conducted in two phases. In phase one, called the Housing Listing Operation (HLO), the housing conditions, assets and amenities of each household will be collected. Subsequently, in the second phase called the Population Enumeration (PE), the demographic, socio-economic, cultural and other details of every person in each household will be collected. Caste details will also be enumerated during this Census exercise. The last census was done in India in 2011 when the entire process of houselisting and enumeration was completed before the reference date of March 1, 2011. The exercise will, however, be held by October 2026 in snow-bound states and union territories, such as Ladakh,Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. The Census is a decennial population-based survey that has been conducted 15 times until 2011. A pan-India census, due in 2021, was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Home Ministry said the Census would be conducted digitally using mobile applications, and people would also be able to self-enumerate. 'Very stringent data security measures would be kept in place to ensure data security at the time of collection, transmission and storage,' it said. Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the preparations for the forthcoming census with Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan and other senior officials on June 15. Shah reviewed the preparation for the forthcoming census with the Union home secretary, Registrar General & Census Commissioner of India Mritunjay Kumar Narayan and other senior officials here, it said. The dates of the new exercise announced earlier this month come over a month after Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA), on 30 April approved the enumeration of castes in the upcoming Census — a surprising decision that the opposition, and Rahul Gandhi have long been demanding amid the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) resistance. The Census will be conducted digitally using mobile applications, and people would also be able to self-enumerate. Key Takeaways The Census will be conducted in two phases: Houselisting Operation and Population Enumeration. Caste details will be included in this Census for the first time since the 2011 survey. Stringent data security measures will be implemented to protect information collected during the Census.
